Enteral adenoviruses (EAds) comprised two related serogroups of viruses which appear to cause gastroenteritis in infants. Studies of these viruses and the diseases they produce were hampered until recently by an inability to grow them in tissue culture. Using a method we have developed for growing these viruses, numerous isolates from around the world have been studied. EAd DNA fragments have been cloned in plasmid vectors, and DNA restriction maps of serogroup F and G strains have been completed. Analyses of the genomic structures of these viruses demonstrated partial sequence homologies to conventional adenoviruses. Recombinant clones derived from areas showing little or no homology to non-EAds have been used to develop a highly sensitive and specific dot-blot assay for EAds in clinical specimens. Our current efforts include further molecular epidemiologic studies, a search for EAds and Ads in AIDS patient specimens, characterization of EAd and Ad binding to specific tissues, and mapping of early viral MRNAs.